15/09/2026
The NRA Board will be discussing a reduction in board size during this week’s meeting. A proposal on how to do this has been released (see below).
Reducing the number of Board Members is something that many reformists have been advocating for, but it must be done responsibly.
There are serious concerns about this proposal from members who are committed to meaningful changes that will increase accountability. The current proposal, without a clear process in place for changes to the committee structures & responsibilities could be a disastrous “reform performance” act.
Everyone interested should be contacting Board Members this week to make sure that they are working towards real reform, not just signing off on something superficial that could backfire by restricting member access to the Board, reduce Board Efficacy, and/or result in an undesirable consolidation of power.
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Proposed Bylaw Amendment 6: Reduction in Board Size (NRA Board and Association Reorganization)
Excerpted from: NRA Office of the Secretary Memorandum, "Proposed Bylaw Amendments," August 20, 2026 (John C. Frazer, Secretary), noticed under Article XV, Section 1 of the NRA Bylaws for the September 2026 Board of Directors meeting.
Sponsors: Bill Bachenberg & Charles T. Hiltunen III (“BV Bylaw #6”)
Date: August 17, 2026
Name of the bylaw/resolution proposal: NRA Board and Association Reorganization
Does this amendment require NRA member approval? No
Is it believed by the sponsor that this would require legal counsel advice? If so, how so: No
Give a clear description of the proposal's goals, including the sponsor's intent:
A Privileged and Confidential detailed overview will be provided shortly for the Board to review, titled “The Case for an NRA Board and Association Reorganization.”
The background
“[A] board of this size … is just not a manageable group to make decisions on micro issues and, also, to provide close oversight.”
— Hon. Joel M. Cohen, People v. National R***e Association of America
The NRA is at a genuine inflection point. Today we operate under a court judgment that requires us to prove we can govern ourselves, our members are demanding real change, and the decisions this board makes over the next three years (a year and a half into) will determine whether the future NRA is a strong, credible, well-run organization or a diminished one. At the center of that question is the size and structure of the board. A seventy-six (76) member board is the single largest obstacle to the oversight, the credibility, and the effectiveness the NRA needs to survive and thrive. Reducing it is not optional housekeeping. It is imperative to the future of this Association, and it will require each of us to put the NRA ahead of our own interests.
The New York Judgment
Our obligation here is not abstract, and the court's own words should leave no one in doubt about why we must act. After a jury found that the NRA had failed to properly administer its charitable assets and that senior leaders had breached their fiduciary duties, the court entered a Final Judgment requiring this Association to govern itself effectively going forward. It traced our failures directly to our governance structure, finding a “long-term entrenchment of management and directors” that had “created blind spots in oversight,” and “significant and unhealthy entrenchment of both management and the board, making it exceedingly difficult for new voices to have any impact.”
It found that when the NRA's problems came to light, “a number of prominent board members reacted principally with the goal of protecting [senior leadership] rather than with protecting the NRA itself against financial mismanagement,” and that the board “abandoned the basic blocking and tackling of ensuring that the financial resources of the association are being responsibly spent.” On the board's size specifically, the court was direct: a board of this size “is just not a manageable group to make decisions on micro issues and, also, to provide close oversight.” It urged the NRA to “consider at the next annual meeting … whether to reduce the size of the board or reorganize it to create a smaller, more focused group,” and it described the very structure proposed here — “a very large advisory section and then a much smaller, tighter group that focuses on the core operational and financial aspects.”
The Officers, Board's Executive Committee, Special Committee on Organization, CCO and the Association's senior staff will work jointly on refining the re-organizational framework for implementation. Other Board committees or outside subject matter expertise will be brought in as needed.
Note — It is critical for the board to take a position at the September board meeting as this Bylaw amendment affects the Nominating Committee's work for the 2027 Board of Directors cycle that is already in motion, and if not passed, delays much-needed changes for another year.
Bylaw amendment proposed:
Article IV of the NRA Bylaws is amended:
1. In Section 1(a)(1), by striking “Seventy-five (75) Directors” and inserting “The number of Directors specified in paragraph (3) of this section”.
2. By adding at the end of Section 1(a) the following new paragraph, and renumbering subsequent paragraphs accordingly:
“(3) (A) Beginning upon the adjournment of the 2027 Annual Meeting of Members, sixty-five (65) Directors.
(B) Beginning upon the adjournment of the 2028 Annual Meeting of Members, fifty-five (55) Directors.
(C) Beginning upon the adjournment of the 2029 Annual Meeting of Members, forty-five (45) Directors.”
Board signatures
Bill Bachenberg — [email protected] — signed August 19, 2026
Charles T. Hiltunen III — [email protected] — signed
